On the day of his wedding, Conrad, heir to the house of Otranto, is killed in mysterious circumstances. His calculating father Manfred fears that his dynasty will now come to an end and determines to marry his son's bride himself - despite the fact he is already married. But a series of terrifying supernatural omens soon threaten this unlawful union, as the curse placed on Manfred's ancestor, who usurped the lawful Prince of Otranto, begins to unfold. First published pseudonymously in 1764, purporting to be an ancient Italian text from the time of the crusades, The Castle of Otranto is a founding work of Gothic fiction. With its compelling blend of sinister portents, tempestuous passions and ghostly visitations, it spawned an entire literary tradition and influenced such writers as Ann Radcliffe and Bram Stoker.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
HORATIO WALPOLE, 4th Earl of Orford (1717-1797), also known as Horace Walpole, was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, printer/publisher, and Whig politician. He wrote the first gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, and is famous for his correspondence and for his Gothic Revival villa, Strawberry Hill, and its vast art and book collections.
View titles by Horace Walpole
Michael Gamer is a professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Romanticism and the Gothic.
View titles by Michael Gamer
On the day of his wedding, Conrad, heir to the house of Otranto, is killed in mysterious circumstances. His calculating father Manfred fears that his dynasty will now come to an end and determines to marry his son's bride himself - despite the fact he is already married. But a series of terrifying supernatural omens soon threaten this unlawful union, as the curse placed on Manfred's ancestor, who usurped the lawful Prince of Otranto, begins to unfold. First published pseudonymously in 1764, purporting to be an ancient Italian text from the time of the crusades, The Castle of Otranto is a founding work of Gothic fiction. With its compelling blend of sinister portents, tempestuous passions and ghostly visitations, it spawned an entire literary tradition and influenced such writers as Ann Radcliffe and Bram Stoker.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Creators
HORATIO WALPOLE, 4th Earl of Orford (1717-1797), also known as Horace Walpole, was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, printer/publisher, and Whig politician. He wrote the first gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, and is famous for his correspondence and for his Gothic Revival villa, Strawberry Hill, and its vast art and book collections.
View titles by Horace Walpole
Michael Gamer is a professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Romanticism and the Gothic.
View titles by Michael Gamer
